Manual/Mixer Method: In a large bowl, combine the water, milk, butter or margarine, vegetable oil and egg; beat to combine. Stir in the salt, sugar, flour and yeast. Mix till well-combined, then knead -- 8 to 12 minutes by hand, 5 to 7 minutes in an electric mixer equipped with the dough hook(s) -- until the dough is smooth and supple, soft but not tacky. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover the bowl, and let the dough rise for 1 hour; it'll appear puffy, though not necessarily doubled in bulk. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased work surface.

Bread Machine Method: Place all of the dough ingredients into the pan of your bread machine, program the machine for Manual or Dough, and press Start. When the machine has completed its cycle, gently transfer the dough to a lightly greased work surface.

Topping: Place the dehydrated onions in a small bowl, cover them with water by about 2 inches, and allow them to soak for 1 to 2 hours. Drain the onions, then squeeze them as dry as you can in a piece of cheesecloth, or a double thickness of paper towels. Mix the onions with the vegetable oil and poppy seeds, stir to combine, and set aside.

Divide the dough into 12 pieces. Let the dough pieces rest, covered, for 15 minutes. Flatten each piece into a 5-inch circle, using your fingers to pull the dough outward from the center, then giving each piece a swipe with a rolling pin, if you want the tops to be perfectly smooth. Transfer the circles to parchment-lined or lightly greased baking sheets.

Top half of each circle with about 2 teaspoons filling, leaving a border around the edge, then brush the border with some of the egg wash. Fold the circle in half, and press the edges together to seal. Gently flatten and shape the rolls into ovals. Brush the top of each roll with the egg wash, and top with 1 teaspoon of the filling, spreading it over the surface of the roll. Let the rolls rise, uncovered (or very loosely covered with greased plastic wrap) for 1 hour, or until they're puffy; they won't have doubled in size.

Bake the rolls in a preheated 350°F oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until they're a light, golden brown. Remove the rolls from the oven, and cool them on a wire rack.

Notes:

Yield: 12 rolls

Judy's Comments on baking with Red Star PLATINUM Yeast: When the PLATINUM yeast came in the mail, I was so excited that I wanted to try it out immediately. Since I did not have all the ingredients for the Soft Onion Rolls, I baked some herb rolls. I did not photograph them because they did not look special. In fact, I was a little disappointed when the rolls came out of the oven. Once we tasted them, however, we were delighted by how light and airy they were!

Today I baked the Soft Onion Rolls using Red Star PLATINUM Yeast for my Thanksgiving feast, and I cannot praise them enough! The rolls are always soft and flavorful, but this time they were even softer, springier, and fluffier. I had baked these rolls before and had received compliments, but this time the compliments were overwhelming. In fact, all the food turned out really well, but the Soft Onion Rolls were the most requested item for the guests to take home!

I watched the Red Star Platinum Yeast video on YouTube, and the buns look so scrumptious, I plan to use my third package of Red Star PLATINUM Yeast to see if an amateur, self–taught baker like me could successfully make them as well. Buns are my son's favorite. If these turn out as well as the other two bread recipes, and I am confident that they will, I can't wait to see the look on my son's face as he bites into one.

In fact, there are so many recipes that I would like to try using PLATINUM yeast. I made a long list of the links, and it keeps growing. I had never really noticed much difference between yeasts, but now I think I am "on a roll" baking-wise. Thank you for creating this product.

Thank you for selecting me to participate in the RED STAR Yeast Sampling program. I enjoyed using the samples and was amazingly surprised at the compliments received for the rolls.